Fan.



P. LAWSON.

FAN.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29. 1916.

[ Lawson).

Patented Oct. 23,1917.

UNTTD anrrr PHILIP Lawson, or Jonnsrown', PENNSYLVANIA.

FAN.

pecification of Letters Batent. 1 Patented Get. as, rare.

Application filed March 29, 1916. I Serial No. 87,527.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP LAWSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Johnstown, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fans,

of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rotary fans and has as its object to provide a fan the blades of which are of such contour that whether the fan be employed in creating a blast or creating a suction, it will be more efficient than fans of the same general type having blades of the ordinary form.

The fan embodying the present invention is of universal application and may be employed wherever a suction or blast fan is required, as for example in carpet sweepers, planing mills, saw mills, plating and buffing machines, foundries, forges, gin mills, steel mills and factories, street cleaning machines and in ventilating systems, in 'unload ng gram from boats, cars, elevators, etc., in removing cinders from furnaces, in

mine ventilation and in fact wherever ,a blast or suctionis'required. g

Another ;aim of the invention isto provide a fanof the class mentioned the blades of which are of such contour that with "a minimum power the fan may create maXimum blast or suction force.

'Another aim of the invention is to so construct the fan blades that the fan will not be liable to become clogged or choked,

The invention further aims to provide a' removed from the rotary supporting mem-' ber.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the fan embodying the present invention, the inner side of the casing for the fan being removed;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a: front elevation of the rotor and the fan blades carried thereby, one set of fan blades being removed from the rotor; Fig. f is a perspective view'of one ofthe blades detached.

Corresponding and like parts are referred "to in the following (description. and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

I The fan. embodying the present invention i na-y be inclosed within anydesired type of casing depending upon the use to which the'fanfis to be put andtherefore thecasing illustrated in thedrawings is merelyone 'of the many forms which may be employed and this casing comprises side walls 1 and 2 provided respectively with bearings ,3 and {l for the shaft '5 of therotor of the fan which will -be presently more specifically described. Thefwall l thepresent'foi'm of casing is provided centrally with fan openingb through which air may enter the casing and the walls 1 and 2 are connected by an approriimately cylindrical wall 7 provided at the dforward side of the casing with a discharge spout or blast outlet 8.

The ,rotor for supporting-the fan blades s 1n ,the present instance in the natureio'f a diski ndi cated byflthe numeral 9 --which d sk s keyed or ,otherwise secured as indicated at 10 'to theshaft 5"within the casing,

the said shaft being rotated through the application of any suitable source of power as for example 'a motor as shown in Fig. 2 ofthe drawings. While the rotor in the present instance is in the nature of a disk or circular plate, it will be understood that the same may be of any other suitable construction as for example in the nature of a spoke supported rim or, if desired, the fan blades may be mounted upon supporting arms extending radially from the shaft.

Each of the fan blades constructed in ac cordance with the principles of the present invention has its effective face or area'of anticlastic contour and the blades may be cast or formed from sheet metal or in fact formed from any suitable 'material in any way found desirable so long as the effective face or area of each blade is of the same general shape mentioned. Each blade ineludes an attaching portion 11 provided with a number of bolt openings 12 through which are passed securing bolts 13 serving to secure the blade to the rotor 9, each of the bolts being provided with a nut 14:

which may be tightened to bear against the said attachlng portion 11 or against that face of the rotor opposlte the face against which the blade is disposed, or, where the rotor is provided with two sets of blades, one set located each side thereof, the heads of the bolts will bear against the attaching portions of the blades at one side of the rotor and the nuts of the bolts will bear against the said attaching portions of the blades at the other side of the said rotor as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and it will be understood of course that by thus securing the blades to the rotor either set may be removed and the blades may be individually removed and replaced. From its attaching portion 11 each of the blades is curved laterally and thence forwardly and the effective face of each blade is indicated by the numeral 15 and is continuously and gradually curved longitudinally or, in other words, from the inner end of the blade to the outer end thereof and the transverse curvature of the blade is also uniform and continuous from the attaching portion to the forwardly presented edge of the blade. It will thus be seen, assuming that the fan is to be employed in creating a blast, that each blade has its forward or effective facelongitudinally concave and transversely convex, the back of each blade being consequently longitudinally convex and transversely concave as indicated by the numeral 16. By forming the blades in this manner the blades offer minimum resistance in the rotation of the rotor and yet they serve more effectually to create a blast or suction force as may be required. It will be observed that the blades are disposed radially with relation to the hub of the rotor. Inasmuch as the blades are of anticlastic contour air currents will be more readily created in the rotation of the blades and there will be no likelihood of the fan becoming clogged due to the accumulation of material in the concavities of the blade.

In that form of the invention shown in Fig 2 of the drawings the rotor is provided with two sets of blades, one set located at each side of the said rotor but, as heretofore stated, either set may be removed if found desirable and this modification of the structure is shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

It has been found, however, that where two sets of blades are employed the blast or suction force is substantially doubled and yet but little more power is required to turn the rotor than is required where but a single set of blades is employed.

It will be understood that inasmuch as the blades embodying the present invention are longitudinally concave and transversely convex, as indicated at 16 in the drawings, air pockets are formed which materially assist in the creation of a suction force or creation of a blast, depending upon the use to which the fan is to be put.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

In a fan of the class described, in combination, a rotary support, and fan blades mounted thereon and having their elfective faces extending substantially radially with relation to the axis of rotation of the support the said blades being of anticlastic form and being broader at their outer ends than at their inner ends.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

PHILIP LAWSON. [1 s] Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 12.0. 

